Asking for directions

On road trips, I am often called upon to serve as navigator. One colleague recently asked, “Do you have a GPS in your head?” My ability is much more low tech; I can read a map. In years past, the publication of the annual Rand McNally Road Atlas provided me with hours of entertainment and education, as I traveled vicariously across the United States and Canada. These days, Google Maps and Google Earth have replaced the paper maps, giving me the opportunity to explore the world. In practical terms, these electronic maps allow me to study primary and alternate routs of travel, identify landmarks, and otherwise help me avoid the dreaded need to stop and ask for directions.

My journey in faith has been a bit more complicated, and on a number of occasions, the (often unsolicited) assistance in navigation by others has helped me find my way toward the right direction. Recently, I discovered a most insightful blog that has offered such insight and direction. The Anchoress is a wise and wonderful human being, evidenced by this post on her blog. She asks your help, not for her, but for another family in dire need. She says this family needs the help of angels. I would suggest one is already on the job.

(Still trying to figure out Trackback. Bear with me.)

http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/06/26/a-family-in-crisis-and-in-need-of-prayers/trackback/

This blog entry has no title

Back in the office, following back to back road trips and a break over the weekend at home to enjoy “Thunder in the Valley.” One of the bands, “The British Invasion” (a local group, not this one) put on a wonderful two hour set of Kinks, Stones, Beatles, Led Zep and other Brit bands from the days when my hair was brown, thick, and long.

Family obligations (a wedding!) and one final class to officially complete my MBA will occupy much of my otherwise free time over the next several weeks, so expect this blog to be rather light on content for awhile.

A blog about something, a blog about anything

This blog does not yet have a real focus. “A blog about something, a blog about anything” certainly leave some considerable range of topic. By looking over my list of favorite blogs, you will rightly get the impression that my political leanings tend toward the conservative.

It is far too early to be making final decisions on the 2008 Presidential election, but at this point the only candidate that I find worthy of my vote is not yet in the race. I find the media’s obsession with polls rather interesting on the one hand, and very vexing on the other. While they seek to turn the presidential election into a popularity contest on the same level as the local high school homecoming queen, the average voter is given little meaningful information about where each of the candidates actually stand on particular issues. Some of the blame for this falls on the MSM, but we the people must also accept some of the blame for allow our society to become “short attention span theatre.”

I’ll likely discuss this issue in more depth in future postings. One the other hand, you may see other topics discussed here as well.

Keep in mind, even though my backgrou8nd includes more than two decades as a card carrying member of the MSM, this blogging environment is still new to me and I’m striving to learn how things work in this environment. Your comments, suggestions, and opinions are always welcome.

On the road, on another planet

Blogging with the help of hotel wifi, as I'm on a road trip to that strangest of strange lands, Washington, D.C. I'm attending a conference and have spent much of the past two days playing phone tag with an assortment of Beltway Bureaucrats. No time to go into details, but let it be said, the Capitol Hill Police are keeping America safe from the specter of commercialization. Despite that, the show must go on.

Welcome

It seems all the cool kids are doing it, so here I am. We'll see how this works out.

In my life I've milked cows, made hay, raised honey bees, stocked grocery shelves, DJ'ed when rock 'n roll was on AM radio, worked in television as a news reporter, videographer, tape editor, assignment editor, weatherman, anchor, and producer, performed unskilled labor at a coal-fired power plant (just doing my part to put more carbon into the environment!), married, divorced, and married again. Now I work at a university helping to research ways in which information technology can help improve health care and education in rural and technologically needy areas of the world.

This may evolve into a politically-centered blog, or not. I'll let my muse decide.

More later.